A Future As Bright As The Sun
by Arktosphonos
Summary: It's a few weeks until Shiro's deployment for the Kerberos mission, he and Keith decide to go on a road trip to spend their last remaining weeks together.


"Pull over. I think the duct tape came loose again."

Keith raked his hand through sweat soaked tresses and shoved his head out the window once more, knowing full well the sand dusted air wouldn't do much to cool him down. It was hot in the Mojave desert, unbearably so with the air conditioning in the truck cutting out for the fifth time in three hours. Even with the windows rolled down and the cool aluminum of a soda can against his neck, Keith felt like the sweltering heat would kill him before he and Shiro ever made it to Las Vegas.

"The hose is entirely made of duct tape at this point. I'm surprised we're still able to get any AC at all after continuously rigging it," Shiro sighed. Still, he followed Keith's orders and pulled to the side of the road. He stayed buckled up, hands tight on the steering wheel and glaring at the temperature gauge. "We're getting dangerously close to overheating. I think there's more going on than a leaking hose."

"Lucky us." Keith fussed with the hem of his a-shirt, it was the only thing cool enough to wear while fighting the heat, before pulling the sweat soaked fabric over his head and tossing it to the floorboard alongside food wrappers and empty sodas. "We've only got a few more miles to go, right? We'll get things looked over once we finally make it to Vegas."

Shiro hummed softly in agreement as he unfastened his belt, reaching over and gently swatting Keith's arm before offering the disgruntled younger man a grin. "Come on, let's fix this one more time, and hopefully the last few dozen miles will go by without the air conditioning breaking down again."

Keith grumbled, plucking the hair tie off his wrist and pulling back his damp hair in a low ponytail. Grabbing a bottle of warm water from one of the bags on the floor and the discarded duct tape from earlier, he climbed out of the truck, the sun's rays immediately assaulting him and irritating slightly sunburned skin. "We need to check the water as well if the temperature is going up."

"Good idea," Shiro agreed as he popped the hood. Hot air wafted up, blasting him full in the face with the scent of oil and causing even more sweat to break out across his brow. "It would be our luck if the water pump decided to give out on us in the middle of the desert."

"I told you my truck wasn't up to this." They had argued about this trip for weeks, trying to decide on who's vehicle to use and what routes to take. It was Shiro's last trip before the Kerberos mission, Keith wanted to spend as much time with him before he was scheduled to go, and they finally agreed on a small road trip of sorts. Keith's truck was the unfortunate victim of the travel, however, and the wear and tear was really starting to show. "We really should have taken yours."

A heavy hand ruffled Keith's dark tresses before Shiro tucked a few stray locks behind the cadet's ear and out of his face. "At least I know what I'm going to buy you once I get back. You really need to get a new vehicle."

"Don't waste your money like that. Buy me a house instead," Keith absently mumbled while patting down the few flyaway strands of hair around his face that Shiro missed. He waited with a slight tinge of impatience for the warmth of overheated metal to dissipate somewhat before he could assist Shiro in working on fixing the truck. He desperately wanted to get out of the sun, hopefully with air conditioning soon following after.

"Shouldn't I propose first?" Shiro questioned as he pulled off his own shirt to make it easier on his hands as he messed around the innards of the truck to search out the hose for the air conditioning. Dull silver tape was wound all around it, some starting to peel away from the damp heat radiated from the engine and radiator.

Keith hummed in agreement, leaning over the frame as he tore off short strips of tape and handed them to Shiro when prompted. "You plan on just keeping me as your boyfriend forever?"

A few more tightly wrapped pieces to the hose had Shiro feeling satisfied with his work. Swathing his, now dirty, shirt tighter around his hand, Shiro went about checking the radiator and the water pump, careful not to burn himself as he methodically went over everything, checking for leaks and cracks. Silence reigned for a few long minutes after Keith's question as the future pilot examined the inner workings of the truck in an attempt at figuring out just exactly what was wrong.

"Not like a shuttle, is it?" Keith questioned, leaning closer to Shiro and draping his sweaty body against his boyfriend's. It was sticky and uncomfortable for the both of them, but the touch, no matter how damp from sweat, was still welcomed. "Do you know what's messing with the temperature?"

A gust of breath was exhaled as Shiro pulled himself away from the truck, Keith's arms still wrapped loosely around his waist. Turning in the embrace and leaning down, he pressed a kiss to the corner of Keith's lips, smiling against his mouth before pulling back and taking the warm water from him to drink since it didn't seem needed for the truck for now.

"We can make it to Vegas," He said after a long swig of water. "We'll limp out of the Mojave, and it'll probably take an hour more than planned if we keep pulling over, but we'll get there and get your baby fixed up."

Keith nodded, releasing Shiro for a moment to place his hand on the grill of his truck, the metal hot to the touch as he stroked the rusted frame. "Good," He stated with another sharp nod. "I may hate this rustbucket at times, but it's still the first thing I bought for myself."

Shiro cupped the younger man's face in his hands, fingers still wet from the water, and peppered his cheeks, nose, and lips with kisses, not at all minding the slight tang of salt and sweat that accompanied each peck. "Let me get you something nice for once."

"You're something nice." Keith pushed up onto his toes, pressing his body against Shiro's as he leaned up to properly kiss him, his tongue tracing the slightly chapped seam of Shiro's lips. Reaching up, he wound his arms around his boyfriend's neck, humming in appreciation as strong fingers gripped onto his hips and held him tight.

Still, being in the middle of a desert, with the sun washing inescapable heat over them and the added warmth from each other's bodies, it quickly became too uncomfortable to be this close to each other, and Keith tore himself from his boyfriend's grip. Shiro's brow rose as Keith squirmed from his embrace, looking positively puzzled at why he pulled away yet easily breaking his hold on the younger man's hips so he had his space.

"Let's continue when we're not melting." Keith patted Shiro's cheek, fingers lingering just a bare moment before he made his way back to the passenger seat. The sun baked seat was not a welcomed sight, and Keith hissed in discomfort as he climbed onto the heated leather. Reaching to the floorboard, he fished out his discarded shirt from earlier and used it to wipe the sweat off his face and neck before tossing it in the pile of junk food remains once again.

"Shiro!" Keith called out, glowering at the still raised hood of his truck. "Come on, let's see if we have air conditioning yet."

The hood slammed shut and Shiro quickly appeared beside him in the driver's seat. The key turned, engine sputtering to life, and after a few short rattles the air kicked on. Warm air flowed out for a few long moments, causing a new bout of sweat to break out over both of their bodies, before another rumbling noise from deep within the truck resounded, and blissful cold air started to seep out.

"Shiro, I love you. You're a lifesaver," Keith practically moaned out the words at his appreciation for the cooler temperature. Hunching forward, he pressed his forehead against one of the vents, ignoring Shiro's soft laughter at his utterly content mood. He heard the soft squeak of the window going up, knowing Shiro was trying to keep as much cold air in as possible, and with one last blast of air against his face, Keith pulled away from the vent and rolled up his own window.

He didn't even realize Shiro had actually began to drive while his face was plastered to the dashboard in an attempt at soaking up the air. Sandy, cactus spotted hills rushed by at a rapid pace as they started to travel once more. He watched the bland sights pass by in comfortable silence. When it came to Shiro, he didn't need to prattle on to keep the quiet at bay, and they often just basked in mutual space with ease.

"So you really want a house?"

Keith blinked, tearing his eyes away from the scenery to turn in his seat and look at Shiro, giving him his full attention. His brows furrowed at the abrupt question, heat rising to his face at how casually Shiro brought up heavy and important stuff like that. He wasn't embarrassed, just caught somewhat off-guard as Shiro finally acknowledged their previous abandoned conversation.

"Yeah. I know we won't have the ideal home, there's much more important things to get first, but I'd be fine with even an apartment for now. Living at the Garrison, switching off on which bunk to sleep in each night, not having a place I really call 'ours'..." Keith let out a soft noise of distress, running his hand through messy black tresses, inadvertently pulling out the hair tie and tugging lightly at the end of a few strands of hair at the nape of his neck in a nervous habit. "I'd like a home with you one day. I want a place for us. Someplace I'm glad to return to."

Opening up like this was hard for Keith, it always had been for him. He was so unused to expressing his feelings that they had practically atrophied over the years. But Shiro reached over, untangling Keith's hand from his hair and lacing his fingers together with Keith's while keeping his eyes on the road and his other hand firmly on the steering wheel. The pad of his thumb stroked the back of Keith's wrist in soft, soothing circles, silently communicating that it was fine he wanted that and helping ease up the sudden spike of worry over wanting such simple things.

"Then I'll propose when I get back." The words held an air of finality, of a promise. Glancing at Keith from the corner of his eyes, he tossed the younger man a smile, bringing their joined hands up and kissing Keith's wrist. "But you have to at least pretend to be surprised when I do it."

Keith's stomach erupted into flutters as his nerves moved from stress to euphoria, waves of joy rolling through him as he squeezed down on Shiro's hand. His goofy, excited feelings flitted to the surface and reflected in the slightly curved bow of his lips as Shiro's mouth rested against his skin.

While Keith dreaded the thought of Shiro being gone for so long on his upcoming mission, the warm weight of the future settled itself in his stomach, leaving him safe and content for now.

A life with Shiro. A home to call their own. The future seemed almost blinding with its possibilities.


End file.
